Roy Hodgson and his 23-man squad, complete with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, land in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday eager to begin their preparations for the game against the Italians at the Arena da Amazônia on Saturday. They boasted a more experienced lineup in Ukraine two years ago when the sides played out a goalless draw, with Italy progressing to the semi-finals on penalties, but there is a more youthful feel to Hodgson’s options this time.

“We had a good team when we played Italy last time but now we have more players who can hurt them, attacking-wise, and we have a bit more pace in the squad as well, so hopefully we will get further on,” said Johnson, one of seven members of the current squad who played at the Olympic Stadium in Kiev in 2012. “I don’t think Italy will have met an England team like this before. The team we had before was a good side but maybe it was slightly defensive. If we can defend well now and use some of the pace and ability we have going forward we can cause problems.”

Sterling remains this team’s great unknown, with Hodgson’s plan to start with the Liverpool winger against Honduras on Saturday wrecked by his red card in last week’s draw with Ecuador. In the teenager’s absence, Danny Welbeck and Adam Lallana initially occupied the roles on the flank but Sterling has impressed with his displays in training over the week in Florida and remains in contention for a major role in Manaus.

“Raheem was on fire in training on Friday and he looks like he has been around the squad for years,” said Johnson, the Liverpool right-back. “I am never one-on-one in sessions against him but in terms of seeing what he can do when he gets on the ball you can see he has learned the game quickly and he can hurt teams.

“It would be ideal if people don’t know what he is capable of and underestimate him a bit. That would definitely work in our favour. He has looked good all year. Probably over 10 yards Raheem is the quickest we have but he is a young kid and he should just get better.”

Hodgson confirmed after the goalless draw with Honduras that he expects Oxlade-Chamberlain to participate at the World Cup as the midfielder continues his rehabilitation from a medial ligament injury in his right knee. he Arsenal player wore a protective brace when departing the Sun Life Stadium on Saturday en route to the airport for the flight to Brazil and should be fit to resume full training in about 10 days.

“We have to get our head round what type of injury it is,” added Johnson. “There are a few question marks around how bad it is and how quickly he can recover. He is well in with the squad, well in with the lads and we try and keep him as happy as possible. He is just as involved as he was apart from the training sessions.

“Personally he will be gutted and we are gutted for him because you don’t want to be picking up injuries now. I am sure he will be mentally strong and we will be by his side. He was great the other night and you don’t want to lose any player, especially with the quality he has got.”

Sign up for the Guardian Today

Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning.